Israelis head to the polls in decisive election
March 17, 2015, 10:59 am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will increase settlements in the West Bank and ensure that no Palestinian state is created [Xinhua]

Current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been fiercely campaigning for a third consecutive term as candidate for the Likud party.

His rival, Labor candidate Isaac Herzog, has vowed to unseat Netanyahu and has formed a coalition with other centrist parties known as the Zionist Union.

Herzog says that he wants to improve relations with allies and neighbors (including the Palestinians) if elected. Ties with Washington have been strained in recent months as a rift between Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama steadily worsened.

On Monday, Netanyahu said that if elected he would ensure that he would increase settlements – considered illegal under international law – in the West Bank, and ensure that a Palestinian state is not established.

The prime minister, who has been trailing in the polls, accused his rivals of caving in to international pressure; he predicted the creation of a “Hamastan” – in reference to the Palestinian armed group Hamas in the Gaza Strip – if the Israeli public voted Labor and other parties into government.

While Likud have been campaigning on the security card, the Zionist Union and others say rampant inflation and the state of the economy are equally, if not more, important issues. They see the Likud’s inability to keep the cost of living manageable as their greatest trump card.

Results of the election will likely be announced late on Tuesday. But the process of forming a government will be challenging for any winner. Opinion polls show that the Zionist Union could win 26 seats to Likud’s 21.

A majority of 61 is required in the 120-seat Knesset.

Meanwhile, Arab-Israeli parties who have traditionally been rivals in the elections process this year have combined efforts under one unified list.

Young Arab-Israelis have been campaigning hard to get members of their community to come out and vote.

The BRICS POST with inputs from Agencies.